Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1887-08-19
Jennie Collins.

CiAIeeu years ago, Jennie COlllnS
Was a tailOress in Boston, working for
her daily bread. Born unto poverty,
she had gauged its depths for many
years, during which she had fought
the battle of life single-handed and
alone. She had measured by personal
experience the deprivations and mis-
cry of the large class of shop-girls
who lived in cheap boarding-houses
and lodging-rooms, without resources
and without friends, in time of sick
ness and trouble. But at last, when
more than halfway through life, she
won little vantage ground for her
self, and Immediately hastened to re-
alize her long cherished dream of help
ing her less fortunate fellow-workers.
eff I had called my place Head
quarters for Working-Womeny' or any
other similar name," said Jennie, when
criticised for giving her humane es-
tablishment so incongruous cognC-
men, it would have attracted no at
tention whatever. But when l put up
the sign Boffin's Bower everybody
ran up to the room to see what the
place Was made lots of acquaint.
ances and friends that way, and got
great deal of help. And then was a
reader of Dickens, and took great
fancy to Boffin's Bower and the
people connected with it. have new
er regretted The name"
During the early years Of her public
work saw great deal of Jennie
Collins, and knew that she and her
Boffin's Bower" exerted a marvellous
influence for good over many who were
ready to perish. In a letter written
ME last March she says:
MY experience in these rooms is
simply incredible to myself. It can
never be told. 1t would not be be-
lieved. Volumes would not suffice fos
the narration of peculiar individual
cases that have come to me with har-
rowing, and sometimes puzzling and
trying details, and which l have been
able to relieve"
Her stronghold was the confidence
reposed in her by the public, which al
ways responded generously to her ap-
peals. That poor working-woman.
without position or training, should be
able to accomplish so large and bene-
ficent work among the most unfor-
tunate and hopeless classes, was SIM
ply marvel. She held fair" every
fall to obtain means for free dinners
during the winter for unemployed wo-
men, who paid for it in work. To
many that dinner was their only daily
meal for weeks. One winter, that of
II and rs, she furnished over 5000
free dinners.
She was a staunch believer in woman
suffrage. and was confident it would
prove harbinger of higher civiliza-
ton. Until within a year or two,
when her footsteps tended slowly to
death, l rarely missed her from the
audience at a suffrage meeting. I
marvel how she maintained her uu-
shaken faith in humanity while daily
confronted with its most discouraginp
vices and weaknesses. / wonder at
the exhaustlessness of her patience, at
the endurance OF her courage, and the
constancy OF her affection to even the
most wretched of her sex.
A society has been formed to con-
tinue her work. For she was in her
self whole organization, comprising
III herself secretary and treasurer, fin-
ance and executive committee. No
one person could fiji her place, and al
though lacking prestige and position.
she accomplished an unknown amount
OF work that for lack of nobler dis
criptive term we call Christ-like.
NARY A. LIvERMoRs.
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